MP3 Audio File Format - A New Format for Storing Sounds. FTC Releases Consumer Fraud Survey.
MP3 is the latest and the most popular audio format that is used now. This acronym stands for MPEG Layer 3. It is a compressed audio format with a compression ratio of up to 12: 1. The sound quality of the audio in this format is very high. A normal audio file, which is 1200 KB in size, can be stored in just 100 KB if it is using the MP3 format. The size of the audio files is very small when compared to other formats of audio files. This makes it easily portable.
Where to get MP3 audio files?
MP3 audio files are widely available in CDs now. Almost any album that is released in the world is also sold in the MP3 audio format.
These albums in the MP3 formats are also available in some websites that are dedicated for MP3 downloads. You can also purchase these MP3 CDs at any audio store meant for that purpose.
MP3 downloads
Free MP3 downloads are also available in some of the websites. You need to become a member of these sites for a fee to download unlimited number of songs in the MP3 format. Some of the sites charge you for each song that is downloaded. Free MP3 downloads for testing the quality of the audio is usually provided by most of these websites. Websites like www.napster.com allow free MP3 downloads if you have MP3 players from select manufacturers. You can download directly to the player by using the software provided by the website.
How to play a MP3 audio file?
To play a MP3 audio you need separate players whether it is software or a physical player that can be carried. MP3 software players are used in your PC to play MP3 audio. Physical players from many branded manufacturers are available in the market to play these MP3 audio files.
MP3 Ringtones
With the advent of the mobile phones, it has become a fashion to make your mobile call you with your favorite songs as Ringtones. Youngsters particularly teenagers are more interested in using Ringtones of the songs they like. This has picked up in such a manner that MP3 Ringtones are now being sold in websites. Many websites sell Ringtones in the MP3 format. The mobile you are using should be capable of playing the Ringtones in the MP3 format to use these MP3 Ringtones. These websites provide you with an interface to select the model of the mobile phone you have and then download MP3 Ringtones that suit your mobile phone model.
For more information, visit target="_blank">The MP3 Info Center
David Chandler
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
More Than One-In-10 Americans Fell Victim to Fraud
The Federal Trade Commission today released a statistical survey of fraud in the United States that shows that nearly 25 million adults - 11.2 percent of the adult population - were victims of fraud during the year studied. Certain racial and ethnic minorities were much more likely to be victims of fraud then non-Hispanic whites. American Indians and Alaska Natives were the ethnic group most likely to be victims: nearly 34 percent had experienced one or more frauds in the preceding year. Seventeen percent of African Americans were victims; over 14 percent of Hispanics were victims; and over 6 percent of Non-Hispanic whites were victims.
"We found that
American Indians and Alaska Natives, African Americans, and Hispanics are more likely to be victims of fraud than non-Hispanic whites," said Howard Beales, Director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection. "These findings will help us fine-tune our Hispanic Law Enforcement and Outreach Initiative, and explore additional opportunities to target frauds aimed at communities which are at risk."
The survey of 2,500 randomly chosen consumers shows that consumers with high levels of debt were more likely to be victims of fraud. Three of the top four categories of fraud related to credit, including credit-repair scams often targeted at those carrying high debt loads or having bad credit.
The most frequently reported type of consumer fraud was advance-fee loan scams, in which consumers pay a fee for a "guaranteed" loan or credit card. Four and a half million consumers - 2.1 percent of the U.S. adult population - paid advance fees but did not receive the promised loan or card. In fact, some consumers reported that more than once during the last year they paid fees to get loans or credit cards they did not get.
Buyers' club memberships or bills for unordered publications was the second most commonly reported fraud category in the survey. Some four million consumers - 1.9 percent of the U.S. adult population - were unwittingly billed for memberships they did not authorize or publications they did not order.
Credit card insurance scams and credit repair were the third and fourth most common frauds identified in the survey. While federal law limits consumers' credit card fraud liability to $50, fraudsters sell credit card insurance by falsely claiming that card holders face significant financial risk if their credit cards are misused. An estimated 3.3 million consumers bought unnecessary insurance against the unauthorized use of their credit cards.
Some fraudsters convince consumers that they can help them remove truthful, negative information from their credit report, or establish a new credit record. They can't, and credit repair schemes are illegal, but two million consumers paid for "credit repair" services the year prior to the survey.
"The results of our survey indicate that fraud in the U.S. is a serious problem," said Beales. "We have brought many enforcement actions against these types of scams in the past, and we will bring more in the future."
The survey reveals that 33 percent of fraud victims first learned about a fraudulent offer or product from print advertising in newspapers, magazines, direct mail, catalogs, or posters. Telemarketing was the first source of contact in 17 percent of the frauds. Only 14 percent of fraudulent offers were promoted using Internet and e-mail; television or radio advertising account for only 10.6 percent of fraudulent offers.
Women and younger consumers are more likely to complain if they have been victims of fraud, the survey found. An estimated 74.5 percent of female victims complained. For males, the complaint rate was 10 percentage points lower. Similarly, almost 75 percent of consumers under the age of 35 complained, compared to only 55.4 percent of consumers between 55 and 64.
According to the survey, consumers between the ages of 25 and 44 are most likely to be fraud victims. Eleven percent of them were victims, compared to 8.7 percent in the 45 to 54 year bracket, 6.1 percent of consumers aged 55 to 64, and only 4.7 of consumers 65 years and older.
The top 10 frauds listed in the report include:
* Advance-fee loan scams - 4.55 million victims;
* Buyers clubs - 4.05 million victims;
* Credit card insurance - 3.35 million victims;
* Credit repair - 2 million victims;
* Prize promotions - 1.8 million victims;
* Internet services - 1.75 million victims;
* Pyramid schemes - 1.55 million victims;
* Information services - .8 million victims;
*
* Business opportunities - .45 million victims.
In addition to the fraud categories, the survey found that an estimated 13.9 million consumers were victims of telephone "slamming" - unauthorized and illegal changes in long distance telephone service.
If you need help reviewing your credit report, contact Cindy Morus, Certified Credit Report Reviewer for a Credit Report Review. For more information, go to: Credit Report Review Information (http://www.phelps-creek.com/archives/CreditReportPress.asp) and Top 10 Reasons to Review your Credit Report Regularly (http://www.phelps-creek.com/archives/CheckCreditReport.asp)
Cindy S. Morus (www.phelps-creek.com) is a Certified Financial Recovery Counselor specializing in showing women and their families how to achieve financial well-being and peace of mind. She is also a Certified Credit Report Reviewer and Get Clients NOW!(tm) licensee. Contact her at 541-387-2995 or cmorus@phelps-creek.com She is also the publisher and editor of "Financial Fitness", an internet gazette dedicated to helping people improve their financial fitness no matter what decisions were made in the past.
Attention Ezine editors/Site owners: Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or website as long as you leave all links in place, do not alter the content and include our resource box as listed above. If you do use the material please send us a note (cmorus@phelps-creek.com) so we can take a look. Thanks.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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